Diabetes

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TALKING DIABETES
Get Real about Diabetes
Diabetes isn't a disease that springs up overnight. It's the end stage
of a disorder that's been simmering for years before it's diagnosed.
Diabetes comes in two forms, type 1 and type 2. In type 1 diabetes,
the pancreas doesn't produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body
use glucose (blood sugar) for energy. In type 2, the body doesn't
produce sufficient insulin or cells don't use it effec­tively.
People with a condition known as prediabetes have glucose levels
higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
This section focuses on type 2 diabetes, which accounts
for 90 to 95 percent of all cases of the disease.
Both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are usually the result of insulin
resistance. When people are insulin resistant their cells don't respond
properly to insulin and the pancreas goes into overdrive to produce
more. Eventually excess glucose sets the stage for diabetes and heart
disease.
Eating wisely, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy
weight can help prevent or reverse insulin resistance and prediabetes.